Dire predictions on food jobs and councillors feel the pinch

Farming Independent from June 30, 1987

The jerseys suggest a certain all-conquering side in black and amber, but this is a team shot of Waterford Young Ireland who lost the 1916 Waterford senior hurling final to their near neighbours Ferrybank

THERE were gloomy forecasts on agri employment this time 30 years ago with an EEC report predicting that one in four jobs in the industry would be lost by 2000.

“At a time when the Government is looking to the food industry as a means of providing a spectacular increase in job numbers, the EEC report must be a serious blow to the high hopes being entertained by the present administration,” commented the Farming Independent.

“The report says that increasing automation on farms and in factories will mean that one in every four of those currently at work in the food sector will be out of a job in less than 15 years.”

It was estimated that 12,000 had ‘left the land’ in Ireland the previous year and the Farming Independent predicted that cutbacks on dairy quotas would see 2,000 jobs lost in the sector by 1990.

It was hard times too for county councillors serving on local authority Agriculture Committees with the announcement that payment of expenses for attendance at committee meetings had been frozen.

“The members have been told that the allocation for meeting expenses for the year has already been used up and there is no more money available. They can decided to continue to attend meetings but